[101440] Sheffield : Bridgehouses Footbridge

Bridgehouses Footbridge, Sheffield.

Spanning the River Don.

The Iron Bridge.

Rebuilt by J Butler & Co Ltd, Stanningley Iron Works, Leeds. 1921.

Unlisted.

 

Either side of this spot the River Don is both wider and deeper. Here exists a slight bend in the river which has proven a convenient crossing site for hundreds of years. That, and the importance of the area historically, has meant that a bridge has stood here since a wooden bridge was first recorded in the 1720s, itself replacing the stepping stones used before. The area is still called Bridgehouses after the importance of the crossing. In 1795 an iron bridge was put in place, the first of its kind in Sheffield, just a generation after the opening of the first such bridge in the world at Ironbridge, Shropshire.

 

By 1841 the bridge was in need of replacement. Letters in the local press talked of the unsafe nature of the structure with gaps in the railings that people could fall through. A big change to the area was in the offing. The opening of the Manchester to Sheffield railway was only four years away and Bridgehouses was to be the Sheffield terminus. The bridge had its own pub, The Bridge Inn. sited between the footbridge and Corporation Street from 1818 to 1888, showing the number of people that used the crossing at the time. The area, already busy, was about to become more so, and the bridge was therefore reconstructed.

 

In March 1864 Sheffield suffered the greatest disaster in its history. The newly-built Dale Dike dam in Bradfield burst and sent the flood on its destructive path down the river Loxley and then to the Don. Although the main loss of life was in Malin Bridge, the destruction continued all the way to the city centre. The newly-built Borough Bridge alongside the footbridge survived, but the iron bridge was not so fortunate and was destroyed. In October 1864 the council discussed whether to rebuild the footbridge as there was now an alternative next to it. In December the tendering process began with the bridge finally being restored in July 1865 after an absence of 16 months.

 

The longevity of the bridge is further demonstrated by the latest incarnation which dates from 1921. The crossing was still needed. Bridgehouses railway station was replaced by a goods yard following the opening of Sheffield Victoria station in 1851 and remained so until 1965. Despite the changes in the area over centuries the bridge remains a constant feature. Lady's Bridge has been a crossing for eight centuries in various forms, and river crossing points are remarkably durable things. The reasons and practicality of where to cross water remain for long periods of time. Millions of people have used the various footbridges to cross the Don here in 300 years of use, and today you can still stand on it looking at the same mighty Sheffield river.

Done